Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!news.albasani.net!feeder.erje.net!1.eu.feeder.erje.net!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed3.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail
Return-Path: <rosuav@gmail.com>
X-Original-To: python-list@python.org
Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org
X-Spam-Status: OK 0.020
X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.96; '*S*': 0.00; 'subject:Python': 0.05; '(python': 0.05; 'utf-8': 0.07; '3),': 0.09; 'ruby,': 0.09; 'unicode,': 0.09; 'cc:addr:python-list': 0.10; 'python': 0.11; "hasn't": 0.15; '23,': 0.16; 'from:addr:rosuav': 0.16; 'from:name:chris angelico': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.16; 'bytes': 0.18; '(in': 0.18; 'gui': 0.18; 'language': 0.19; 'cc:2**0': 0.21; 'cc:addr:python.org': 0.21; "world's": 0.22; 'am,': 0.23; '2015': 0.23; 'sat,': 0.23; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.24; 'entered': 0.27; 'sequence': 0.27; 'message-id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.28; 'declared': 0.29; 'equally': 0.29; 'request,': 0.29; 'subject:other': 0.29; 'environment': 0.29; "i'd": 0.31; 'trouble': 0.31; 'code': 0.31; 'probably': 0.32; 'language.': 0.32; 'subject:all': 0.32; "d'aprano": 0.33; 'steven': 0.33; 'though.': 0.33; 'languages': 0.34; 'received:google.com': 0.34; 'but': 0.36; 'text': 0.36; 'two': 0.37; 'subject:: ': 0.37; 'whatever': 0.39; 'your': 0.60; 'information': 0.62; 'making': 0.64; 'face': 0.64; 'love,': 0.66; 'obvious': 0.72; 'subject:have': 0.80; 'chrisa': 0.84; 'flaw': 0.84; 'start.': 0.84; 'toy': 0.84; 'visually': 0.84; 'subject:you': 0.88; 'to:none': 0.90; 'notable': 0.91; 'story,': 0.91
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:cc :content-type; bh=pW9yjgf2glLXAuKlzPqoRNGn67twVqm7ZVuQeizP1Rs=; b=U693t12HdyyXYxgc122vpwtMWOXe4R5YlKtnTvHLxQc8QrglWFjJjLQFhoNdJdsxle 16x6r1pfNuv0IUHl/j5fLG5eWWpz3V3GUwIbdxYwDpl/jouTdZUvjqKCBkRQEWV5xXYe AgeIw08NkU14biLq8DA4jRlftKXeCvZbrtRL2XvoiOIX3OFfpbHY8ltkbuSDqV7vEVjq 9iiMS50IpRc2o6b/zIQj2ZW5HyrNvq67fuwuYZpBTM7sd1jlOJygEshMr4hFgjm84V8x Wv0Ob5OeNsSyqR5KdJ3llfj28M8eU93a+ADGsuSe+i2sxe4uQxeQeMMfG7R8ijjJE6Ho AcTQ==
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-Received: by 10.107.134.153 with SMTP id q25mr11263622ioi.27.1432308573141; Fri, 22 May 2015 08:29:33 -0700 (PDT)
In-Reply-To: <555f440a$0$12990$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com>
References: <555f440a$0$12990$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com>
Date: Sat, 23 May 2015 01:29:33 +1000
Subject: Re: Ah Python, you have spoiled me for all other languages
From: Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
Cc: "python-list@python.org" <python-list@python.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20+
Precedence: list
List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language <python-list.python.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <https://mail.python.org/mailman/options/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/>
List-Post: <mailto:python-list@python.org>
List-Help: <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=subscribe>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Message-ID: <mailman.222.1432309028.17265.python-list@python.org>
Lines: 21
NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6
X-Trace: 1432309028 news.xs4all.nl 2873 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:37041
X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl
Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:91045

On Sat, May 23, 2015 at 12:58 AM, Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> wrote:
> I think Python is a prettier
> language visually than either Lua or Ruby, but they're in the ball-park.
> Both languages have their warts and quirks, but if Python were declared
> illegal overnight[1] I'd probably have no trouble adapting to Ruby or Lua.
> Python would still be my first love, but these two languages make a
> reasonable rebound language.

A good start. Toy programs don't always tell the whole story, though.
How good are the three languages at making your code reliable in the
face of user action? My hobby-horse, Unicode, is a notable flaw in
many languages - if you ask the user for information (in the most
obvious way for whatever environment you're in, be that via a web
browser request, or a GUI widget, or text entered at the console), can
it cope equally with all the world's languages? What if you want to
manipulate that text - is it represented as a sequence of codepoints
(Python 3), UTF-16 code units (JavaScript), UTF-8 bytes (quite a few),
or "bytes in whatever codepage your system was set to" (anything that
hasn't cared)?

ChrisA